Space Station Mir

 My Shakespeare professor once asked us to open our "Complete Works of" tomes and put our finger down randomly on a word. Then, we would write an essay on how that word functioned in a play of our choice. My word was "wish," and it has remained a special word to me ever since. What is the power of a wish? Some characters seem to always succeed in making their wishes come true, while some never do, and some are in between. I've added books that I wish to read someday--we'll see how much of that comes true. So, thank you for letting us choose the word for this Top Ten Tuesday topic over at That Artsy Reader Girl! Books With the Word "Wish" In the Title (That I Wish To Someday Read) The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski, trans. Danusia Stok (The Witcher #0.5)--Ok, this one I have already read, but I couldn't leave it off! The Wishing Spell (The Land of Stories #1) by Chris Colfer--I was interested in this even before I realized it was written by the ...

I've actually read a few books more recently that have surprised me, mostly in either good or neutral ways. I think I've been jumping into a lot of books (ebooks) based on title and the first page rather than a description, so that's also ended up giving me some surprise about even what genre I'm in!  Books That Surprised Me Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer--I thought this was going to be satirical fantasy, but it turned out to be a full-blown romance, just set in a fantasy world. A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic by J.  Penner--In the vein of much cozy fantasy, I thought this was going to be about a fantasy baking competition (which it was!) and a romance, which...it wasn't really. The romance bit started out sweet but then became very rote--BUT the friendship/fellowship part turned out to be probably the most important of all, in a surprising way, and I loved that, which brought the book up from 4 to 5 out of 5 stars for me. Jane Buehler's Sy...

  Happy Top Ten Tuesday  over at That Artsy Reader Girl! Unpopular bookish opinions--I feel like we've been down this road before ! Do I have any unpopular bookish opinions I haven't already shared? Hi, I'm Miriam, and I hate Mr. Darcy  ( really.  hate . him. ) 😛. Let's see if I can conjure up some unpopular bookish opinions for the 2020s. My Unpopular Bookish Opinions for the 2020s (So Far) I'm not a big fan of enemies to lovers --in fact, it makes me NOT want to read a book (I do anyway sometimes because there are so dang many of them, but fortunately, a lot are mislabeled). I AM a big fan of friends to lovers --these don't seem to be as popular, but I love seeing friendships deepen into relationships, and I think these are a lot more realistic anyway! I'm not a Sarah J. Maas/ACOTAR fan *gasp*--To be fair, ACOTAR is the only one of her books that I've read, so I wouldn't write her off entirely and would maybe try Throne of Glass  or something else...

 Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl!  I've included some books I've read recently as well as some books that are on my TBR with covers reminiscent of spring, whether that's pastel colors or a sylvan setting. Something about green trees just says spring to me. We've definitely slipped back into a brief winter here after some lovely springlike days, (and a number of blossoming trees) but hopefully they will return soon. Top Ten Books With Spring-y Covers The Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson Who Loves You Best by Marilyn Simon Rothstein The Gargoyle and the Songbird by Cora Crane Party of One by Meghan Keane Song of the Six Realms by Judy I. Lin The Secret Country by Pamela Dean Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper Stay Awhile by Chrissa Rose The Forest Bride by Jane Buehler

For whatever reason, March has been a busy month for me the past several years (except 2020-2021 for obvious reasons). I finished the first two books on a trip I took at the beginning of the month. The rest are all quick or book-club reads crowded in on nights and weekends. This is what's getting me through. Books Read in March 2025  The Fire Apprentice by Jane Buehler (Sylvania #5)-Read my review here . TL: DR; Highly recommend to readers of romance and cozy fantasy! UnSweetined by Jodie Sweetin (Book club read)--Interesting celebrity memoir as someone who grew up watching Full House --this is really more of a confession that Sweetin wrote to keep her honest and accountable about her addiction problems, but I'd recommend it if you similarly are interested in her and Full House.  The Forest Bride by Jane Buehler (Sylvania #1)--Decided to finally read the first book in the cozy fantasy Sylvania series! Just as delightful as all the other ones, with an endearing mix of fantasy ...

 I'm starting this (very) late, so I'm borrowing Jana's exact topic over at That Artsy Reader Girl.  Like Jana, I'm not a huge fan of pranks, but I am a huge fan of books and spring! We are all certainly April's fools now, with the weather we've been having. Top Ten  Five Books You'd Be a Fool Not to Listen to On Audio Born a Crime by Trevor Noah--He narrates it himself, and it is just so laugh out loud funny. If you like his stand-up or are interested in what growing up in South Africa was like, this is a great one. Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield--The narrator is lovely, and the book lends itself to oral storytelling. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss--A lot of songs and the protagonist is so theatrical, the audiobook just makes sense. However, I do generally steer away from epic fantasy on audio and listened to this after I had already read the book, so YMMV. Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper--The author narrates and it makes...

 Happy Spring! I've missed the last few Top Ten Tuesdays , so I'll take the opportunity to share my Spring TBR list here. Per usual, it's books I'm reading for book clubs or just what I'm interested in right now, rather than anything especially seasonal. Although, the birding book I'm reading now does feel apropos, as I hear more birdcalls outside my window, the daffodils and forsythia are blooming, and the cherry blossoms are budding. I feel like a lot of people read specific books in the Fall especially and sometimes for Winter or Summer. Does anyone out there have specific Spring reads? What are you all planning to read for Spring? My Spring 2025 TBR Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World by Christian Cooper (Book club read)--I'm almost done, and so glad I suggested we read this one! I love the birding parts, and it's more of a memoir than I expected, but fortunately, as a fellow Marvel and Star Trek fan, Cooper ha...

Oof. It has been a month, a year, an eternity. A lot of books I enjoyed this month, thank goodness. And I read straight through into March and already have a couple books done for that month. It has been that kind of a year so far. I enjoyed getting to share a lot of these reads and would love to hear your thoughts if you've read any! Books Read in February 2025  No One Will Save Us: A Reimagining of the Atlantic Slave Trade by Julie L. Brown (received for review from LibraryThing)--I'm so glad I asked to review this because I don't think I ever would have seen it otherwise, and I absolutely loved it. This is the inspiring, educational, and just freaking awesome alternate history we need. The warrior women of Kana (the primary of multiple cultures in what we would call Ghana that Brown brings to life) stop the Atlantic slave trade in its infancy--even traveling to Virginia to bring their people and others back home, and allying with the Powhatans along the way! If you'r...

The Fire Apprentice by Jane Buehler (Sylvania #5)  Release Date: March 18, 2025 I previously reviewed The Village Maid and The Woodland Stranger   for LibraryThing, both of which I loved, especially the latter. When I heard that Jane Buehler had another book coming out in the cozy fantasy romance series set in her bucolic land of Sylvania, I knew I wanted to review it! Sadly, it wasn't on offer from LibraryThing at the time, so I appealed directly to the author, who kindly sent me an eARC (and it sounds like her books will be back on LibraryThing's Early Reviewers soon as well).  Jane, the female protagonist, is a character that was introduced briefly in earlier books. Like all of the books so far, you could read The Fire Apprentice as a standalone and wouldn't miss out on any of the present story. However, if you want a fuller picture of Sylvania, the different human and fairy (and dragon!) cultures, and the interrelationships between the sets of characters in each of ...

 As a huge fan of time travel, books set in the future, and alternate histories, I love this week's Top Ten Tuesday topic over at That Artsy Reader Girl . I also used to read a lot of historical fiction, but these days I tend to prefer reimaginings, more inclusive historical fiction, or historical fiction fantasy. One of my friends said recently, "I need at least two layers of separation from reality" in her reading life, and my reading lately would tend to concur. Here are some of my recent favorites set in another time--and probably also an alternate timeline! My Top Ten Books Set in Another Time (And Probably Also In An Alternate Timeline) No One Will Save Us by Julie L. Brown--I read this for a LibraryThing review and really loved it! It's a reimagining of the Atlantic slave trade where a group of West African warrior women sail to the New World and rescue the enslaved Africans! Incredibly and vividly imagined characters, scenery, cultures, and plot. The Once and ...

Today's Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl is a "love freebie," so I made up a couple of related prompts that I hope you will find amusing! Whether you celebrate Valentine's Day or not, I'm wishing everyone some love and lightness right now. It seems like it would be silly, but leaning into romance these past couple years has actually helped me focus on what's important--love, community, and lifting up those around us so that we can be stronger together and literally create a better, kinder world.   Favorite OTPs from Books I Read in the Last 5 Years 1. Zoya/Nikolai from the Grishaverse novels by Leigh Bardugo--These two are so hard-earned. Both characters have been through so much individually and together, and you see how they complement each other both as people and as rulers. Plus, my heart just aches for both of them.  2. Kaz/Inez from the Grishaverse novels by Leigh Bardugo--If you think you're seeing a trend, you are absolutely righ...

 A fresh new year! I've been reading a lot of different books, but not finishing or enjoying as many as I would like. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store , technically my first read of the year, was an exception, but I started that in December. I hope that changes soon. I've got books checked out of the library for four different book clubs, and some of these are books I've wanted to read for years. Of course, as soon as I have them in my possession, I'm less keen. I feel like I should finish the books I'm already reading, or I don't want to start them in case I don't like them as much as I thought I would. Here's to better reading months for the rest of the year! Books Read in January 2025 The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (Book club read)--Loved it--I love everything McBride writes--but it was fun to read a book by him with more Jewish characters, and I love how he understands exactly how each ethnic group in this story is oppressed in...

 I discovered a lot of new authors in 2024, mostly thanks to Kindle Unlimited and Stuff-Your-Kindle days and also that I've newly gotten into the genres of romance and romantasy, which has opened up a lot of new authors to me as well. It feels nice to support new authors both as a reader and as a reviewer (and a member of 4-5 book clubs), and I hope I get to do more of it in 2025.  Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl! New-To-Me Authors I Discovered in 2024 Megan Van Dyke--I started seeing her posts on Instagram probably sometime in 2023, and I finally read Captive of the Stolen Empire in early 2024, and then I was hooked. I love her standalones, fairytale retellings, and fae realm books--she does lush worldbuilding, intense characters, and spicy romance. I plan to keep reading books as long as she keeps writing them! Allie Lasky--I found her by searching for Hanukkah romances on Kindle Unlimited. Her characters are Gen Z and very alternative, but she delivered...

 Most of the books I buy these days are ebooks, or books I'm technically "renting" (I guess that's the right term?) on Kindle Unlimited. I also get a few ebooks for review, usually from LibraryThing or directly from authors. Mostly I get books from the library, but I also try to buy/preorder from my favorite authors--sometimes ebooks or sometimes an actual book if I don't have a signed copy from that author yet! Here are the most recent books I've either bought or rented (TBR would be a whole other list!). Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl! Top Ten Most Recent Additions to My Book Collection Everlasting Spring: 101 Poems for Every Season of Life by Sonya Matejko (Ebook for review from LibraryThing) Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawagachi (Kindle Unlimited) Spark by Allie Lasky (Kindle Unlimited) The Hannukah Hook-Up by Jessica Topper (Kindle Unlimited) Hooked by M.C. Frank (Kindle Unlimited) A Dance of Blood and Destiny by K.R.S. ...

 I posted my Bookish and Not So Bookish Goals for 2024  last year. I accomplished a lot of them! First, I'll review how I did on my goals from 2024, and then I'll share my goals for 2025. Bookish Goals for 2024 Read 42 books--I again wanted to go a little easy on myself, but feeling up to this since my goal last year was 36 and I read 48. Well, I read 90 books in 2024, mission accomplished! Read 11 (25%) books by authors of color, from this specific list (below)--I haven't been doing well with this goal in the past, so instead of the more vague "25%" goal, I'm defining 25% of my reading goal and actually creating a list of books I want to read that fit this criteria to choose from. If you're interested, my list below includes books that have been on my TBR awhile, including some literally on my shelves. I read 13 books by authors of color, some of which were from the included list but most were not.  Read and review all the books I've accepted for revi...

 I never got around to this survey in 2023, but unexpectedly, in 2024, I had the most prolific reading year of my adult life (checking back, I did read 89 books in 2019). Honestly, I would guess it's both because I was missing a personal laptop for parts of the year and also because there were a few weeks or months when I went mostly off social media. I'm going to enjoy basking in this glow because I don't know if it will ever happen again!  I also met most of my bookish goals for 2024 (more on that later), but for now I'd like to share the stats from the survey I've been using for over a decade (I think?!), which I modified from the discontinued book blog,  Boston Bibliophile . 2024 Reading Stats How many books read? 90 Fiction/nonfiction? 78 fiction, 8 nonfiction, 4 poetry Female/male/nonbinary author ratio? 74 female, 13 male, 1 collection with writers of multiple genders, and 1 unknown Writers of Color/Minority Writers? 13 books by writers of color, 14 Jewish wr...